Illustrative photo (Photo: tuoitrethudo.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) - The third open mathematics festival was
launched on August 13 at the Hanoi University of Technology by the Vietnam Institute
for Advanced Study in Mathematics.
The festival, which included a photo exhibition about mathematics
application in daily life, seeks to create opportunities for students,
teachers, parents and mathematicians from around the country to share their
views and experiences related to mathematics.
Festival organisers also hope it will inspire lovers of
mathematics and help promote the development of this field in Vietnam.
In another development, the Ministry of Education and Training
awarded scholarships of 7.29 billion VND (324,000 USD) to 185 students from 12
universities and 297 high school students for excellence in mathematics.
In addition, 85 math projects were awarded 2.57 billion VND (114,200
USD).
Professor Tran Van Nhung, secretary general of the State
Council for Professor Titles, said the award and scholarships would motivate
teachers and students to continue striving for the country’s mathematics
development.
The awards event is a part of the national target programme on
mathematics development in the period 2010-20, which was approved by Prime
Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
Mathematics projects receiving the award must have been published
on international magazines and must include one lecturer in addition to
students.
Students awarded scholarships all had a grade of at least 9 in
maths or had achievements in domestic and international contests for gifted
students.-VNA ... [read more]

NDO - A Nhan Dan Online selection of notable events that made headlines over the past week.
National Assembly Standing Committee convenes 13th session
The 13th session of the National Assembly Standing Committee (NASC) opened in Hanoi on August 10 and will run for seven days.
NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan stated that during this session, the NA Standing Committee will give opinions in regards to controversial issues of the four draft laws. Deputies commented at the NA’s third session in regards to the revised laws on forest protection and development and fisheries. The Standing Committee also discussed public debt management, along with denunciations at the convention. The committee will scrutinize five bills scheduled to be submitted to the NA for consideration at the upcoming fourth session.
First Vice President of the Cambodian Senate Nay Pena visits Vietnam
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (R) and Nay Pena, Chairman of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) Central Committee’s Inspection Commission and First Vice President of the Cambodian Senate (Source: VNA)
First Vice-President of the Cambodian Senate, Ney Pena paid a visit to Vietnam from August 8 to 11. The visit was hailed as a significant event which marked 50 years of Vietnam-Cambodia diplomatic ties (June 24, 1967-2017), contributing to strengthening the friendly and neighbourly relations between the two countries.
During his stay in Vietnam, First Vice-President Ney Pena was received by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong; Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc;…... [read more]

Phạm Thị Hường (not her real name) from the Mekong Delta Province of Kiên Giang decided to take her four-year-old son to a hospital in HCM City after she noticed him blinking all the time, displaying facial twitching and experiencing occasional nausea.
Children’s addiction to smartphones is believed to cause tic disorder. - Photo baodanang.vn At the hospital, Hường was shocked to hear that her son had been diagnosed with a tic disorder, defined as having uncontrolled sudden, repetitive movements difficult to control. There are two types of tics – motor and vocal. Motor tics are sudden short movements, such as twitching, grimaces, or squints. A vocal tic might be repetitive sniffling, throat clearing or coughing, clicking of the tongue or humming. According to Dr. Nguyễn Quang Vinh, Head of the Department of Neurology of the HCM City Children’s Hospital 1, gaming, playing with smart phones or watching TV in long hours are among the main cause of tic disorder in children. "When children play games, use the phone or watch TV too much, the eyes and nerves are always in a state of high concentration leading to stress, not only increasing refactrive errors but also causing the onset of tic disorder, " he told the Bnews online newspaper. Some other factors can also lead to tic disdorder, such as academic stress, or being scolded. Hường said since her son was two years old, he had been hyperactive and she let him watch videos and play games on…... [read more]

Many universities are facing a shortage of hundreds of students this academic year. Students apply to Ho Chi Minh City University of Pedagogy The problem was raised during the review conference for 2016-2017 academic year and this year held by the Ministry of Education and Training on August 11. As students can apply to multiple institutions before admission standards are set, the universities face an inaccurate number of applications every year. According to the ministry, as of August 8, about 110,000 out of 352,000 students didn't register for the universities they applied to. Many universities such as the University of Communications and Transport, National University of Civil Engineering and Water Resources University lack from 300 to 800 students compared to their quota even though the ministry claimed to have the situation under control. The universities had called each student but they all wanted to register to other universities or had other plans. When being asked, Minister of Education Phung Xuan Nha said, "It's not too difficult to understand why 110,000 students didn't register. Educational institutions need to compete. Students will feel more secure to apply to quality institutions." Nha warned the universities not to recruit too many students for popular courses even though there are few jobs in those sectors. Hoang Minh Son, head of Hanoi University of Science and Technology said universities should invest more into consultancy, market research and communication departments. Also at the meeting, many complained that the tests this year seemed to result in too…... [read more]

Nguyen The Quynh wins gold again at International Physics Olympiad.
Nguyen The Quynh was born into a disadvantaged family. His father died when he was very young, and his mother had to work hard to raise Quynh and his brother.
Realizing his mother’s hardship, Quynh was determined to study. Admitted to both Advanced Mathematics and Physics classes at Vo Nguyen Giap Gifted High School, Quynh decided he would study physics with the aim of becoming a scientist.
He did a lot of self-directed study, took part in competitions, and won several prizes.
Quynh’s mother, Tran Thi Vi Hanh, said “Despite financial difficulties, I did my best to support my sons’ study. Quynh is self-reliant and proactive in his study”.
When asked about his study habits, Quynh said they were no different from those of his friends. He just studies what he likes, sets a reasonable schedule, and does not put too much pressure on himself. He said it’s important to understand thoroughly whatever you are studying.
“I listen attentively to teachers in class. At home, I focus on what I am most interested in, and I think that’s more effective. My mother told me that the only way to develop is education. So, I try to study hard to reach my goals”, said Quynh.
After winning his second gold medal at the International Physics Olympiad, Quynh said he plans to take the entrance exam for the Gifted Physics Program…... [read more]

Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh (centre, front) co-chairs the meeting (Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and Indonesia
discussed specific measures to advance their friendship and multi-faceted
cooperation during the seventh meeting of the joint committee on economic,
scientific and technological cooperation in Hanoi on August 12.
Accordingly, they will prioritise collaboration in trade, industry, energy,
natural resources, minerals, investment, agriculture, forestry, fishery,
transport, construction, education, culture, tourism, finance, banking,
information and communications.
Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh said the two sides also agreed to
increase the exchange of delegations, information and experience in management
and development, while working together to build new cooperation frameworks in
various realms.
Besides, they will tighten cooperation to remove difficulties hindering the
bilateral ties and encourage connectivity between their private economic
sectors in order to fully tap their potential.
Minister Tuan Anh and Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita signed the
minutes of the meeting.
According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Asia-Pacific
Department, Indonesia is the world’s 16th largest economy and the largest
market in Southeast Asia.
Despite global and regional economic uncertainties over the past time, trade
between Vietnam and Indonesia has made significant strides, the department
said.
Indonesia is Vietnam’s fourth largest trade partner in the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with two-way trade expanding from 4.6 billion
USD in 2012 to 5.6 billion USD in 2016,…... [read more]

The central province of Quang Nam plans to restore a 80ha forest as habitat for a herd of gray-shanked douc langurs living in Dong Co Village, Tam My Tay Commune. A gray-shanked douc langur (pygathrix cinerea) in central Viet Nam. Quang Nam Province plans to restore a 80ha forest to protect a herd of 50 gray-shanked douc langurs in Nui Thanh District. Huynh Tan Duc, director of the provincial Agriculture and Rural Development, said the forest area in question had been allocated for acacia – one of the most profitable woods in the central region, but this stole the endangered langurs’ natural habitat. He said the langurs now live in a 5ha primary forest, and face being hunted by locals as well as poachers. “We will replant some indigenous species to provide food for the primates. A large area of forest will be restored from the commune to the riverhead of Phú Ninh, Bắc Trà My and Tiên Phước districts in the province,” Đức said, adding that the forest area will help connect with primary forests in neighbouring Quảng Ngãi Province. “The department will collaborate with local administrations and rangers to hold more patrol and protection of the langurs, and communications for local residents on the importance of the langurs,” he said. The department will survey the langurs and their habitat in order to create a safe shelter for them in a 4,000ha forest in Tam Trà Commune, Núi Thành District, he added. Trần Hữu Vỹ, director of the Centre…... [read more]

For the last 17 years, a special school in HCM City’s District 7 has been providing a priceless service to children of poor migrant workers struggling to eke out a living. A retired teacher at a special school in District 7 for children of poor migrants. Every year, this school, set up under a small project called Cầu Hàn which enrolls about 60 poor children whose parents do not have enough money to send them to school. For two hours a day, Monday to Friday, these children, mostly from the district’s Tan Thanh Tay, Tan Quy and Tan Kieng wards, are taught by retired teachers. A small house with two “classrooms” and a living room serves as a makeshift school for students from first to fifth grade. “Most of the students are not good at learning, so they have to go to class from the beginning of August instead of September to revise lessons,” Do Ngoc Tuyet, 62, a retired teacher, told the Youth newspaper. Besides lessons following the curricula set by the Ministry of Education and Training, the students also learn about traffic safety, children’s rights, violence, abuse, HIV prevention and human trafficking. “Their parents are so busy with their work all day, because most of them are migrant workers and do not have time to take care their children, so we also have to teach them skills to protect themselves,” said project manager Huynh Kim Tien. Because their parents are always away, the children have to fend for…... [read more]

On August 10, 2017, the Food Safety and Inspection Service published in the Federal Register a notice announcing an educational meeting to discuss the new mandatory catfish program.
The Final Rule, titled ‘Mandatory Inspection of Fish of the Order Siluriformes and Products Derived from Such Fish,’ went into effect as of August 2, 2017, to abide with direction from the US Congress.
In line with those instructions, all shipments of imported Siluriformes fish and fish products entering the US must be presented at an Official Import Inspection Establishment for reinspection by FSIS personnel.
Fish of the order Siluriformes include fish of several families including catfish (fish of the family Ictaluridae), basa, tra, and swai (fish of the family Pangasiidae), and clarias (fish of the Clariidae family).
FSIS will present information on the upcoming full implementation of the regulatory requirements at official domestic establishments that process Siluriformes fish and fish products, as well as information on entry procedures and reinspection at official import inspection establishments.
FSIS is particularly interested in soliciting participation from representatives from US domestic wild-caught operations that process Siluriformes fish and fish products.
The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Memphis Airport and Convention Centre in Memphis, TN, on Thursday, August 24, 2017; 9 am– 3pm CT. Source VOV
... [read more]

The Vietnamese delegation also gained the third position in the competition.
Students Duong Phuc Quang and To Huynh Phuc of Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted in Ho Chi Minh City earned two bronze medals.
7 bronze mdeals went to Pham Quang Minh, Nguyen Khac Hong Hai, Ho Vu Minh Khang, Nguyen Hoang Phuc, Truong Cong Huy Hoang, Le Nguyen Bao Huy of Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted; and Nguyen Cao Minh of Nguyen Hue Secondary School in HCM City.
The Vietnamese team with 12 primary school students whose were chosen from 1,266 students in the city participated in the competition for the second time.
The World Mathematical Olympiad (WMO) is the International Championship for Elementary and Middle School students aged 8-11 years old and is held annually in a different country. The first WMO was held in 2009 and has been organized in 30 cities in 10 countries around the world with the participation of thousands students.
WMO breaks the traditional format of math competitions by challenging contestants to apply innovative methods to solve problems using creativity, teamwork, and intuition. The competition integrates science, technology, engineering, and the liberal arts, inspiring students’ natural curiosity to connect with their world.
By NGUYEN PHUC – Translated by Kim Khanh... [read more]